Remedy
by blinkedtwice
Summary: AU. A recovering mother institutionalized, soon becomes dangerously caught in a triangle between her therapist and the attorney that's trying to help her regain custody of her son. AO vs EO.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: so yeah I know I have like two other stories I should be working on but right now I'm just working on whatever...I guess. Anyway this is an AU and AO vs EO, I plan to decide which one wins based on reviews...anyway enjoy.**

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 **"** Do you think you've gotten better?" he asked her. He watched the woman move in her seat, with her head towards the window, he chooses to examine her fine jawline, his eyes wandering down her neck to her prodigious breast, her shirt too tight for them to go unnoticed. Once he begins to hear her voice, he looks back down at the notepad in his lap, hoping she has not caught him staring. He waits, with the point of his pen, still frozen in his hand. He looks back up confused, watching her continue to stare out the window as she speaks.

It takes him a while, wondering what the fuck she's talking about. It takes him a while to realize she's reciting words from _Alice in Wonderland,_ the only book that's given her hope since she's came to the clinic. Ironic how a story that obscures reality, keeps her tied to it.

" _Then it doesn't matter which way you go...so as long as I get somewhere,"_ she murmurers. As she watches the snow outside, she feels his eyes on her. He's studying her...waiting to analyze her.

She fucking hates it.

It's been two years now. Each question he asks, is almost demanding an answer, and each question unanswered leaves her feeling like she's disappointed him. But he always sits there, always in an expensive suit, his thin hair always brushed, his blue eyes always reaching a part of her she's not sure she's comfortable with. She wonders if he sleeps at night...hearing the stories, wishes, and tales of each crazy person that steps into his office.

"And where do you plan to go Olivia?" he asks, "because you can't afford to stay stuck in wonderland,"

"You act as if I don't know it's fake," she snaps, finally looking him in the eyes.

"Do you," he smirks. He knows which buttons to press with her...and surprisingly it has taken months for her to tolerate him. He's not shocked by the glare she gives bites her lower lip, and this time she watches his eyes lower, his own lip twitching.

He looks down at his notepad once more, clearing his throat, ashamed his patient has caught him

But this isn't the first time. The few kisses they've shared has already proven they've crossed the line of unprofessionalism.

"I plan to go home...to my son," she whispers, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"It may be nice to leave Olivia...but it's not guaranteed you get your son back,"

"I love my son,"

She nearly flinches in shame at the doubtful look he gives her. Many times he has told her his view on the situation with her son...most of the time with him throwing harsh words at her, before she yells back...which then leads to her being sedated.

It's a moment of silence as they both stare at each other. A silent showdown. She chooses to surrender as she looks past him, hoping her illusion of eye contact fools him. On his desk is a picture of his ex wife, holding their only daughter. He always refuses to tell her their name and in exchange she does the same, refusing to tell him the name of her son. She begins to become teary eyed, her eyes burning as she sees the picture of her therapist holding his child close...something she hasn't been able to do in two years.

"I didn't try to drown my son," she chokes out.

He scoffs, closing his eyes to keep from dramatically rolling them. "You say that every session Olivia," he sighs," your ex husband found you holding your son underwater Olivia,"

"He lied," she sniffs, not even realizing her tears have now glided down her cheeks. She knows he doesn't believe her...no one does. Who would trust a supposedly recovering drug addict who may have snapped from withdrawal. With a powerful attorney husband, her child was gone, her chances were gone. The judge, luckily sympathetic, decided not to send her to prison. She saw her son on the news sometimes...with his father, who was on a winning streak with cases across New York...he always smiled...along with his new step mother, a much younger, cleaner, and more reliable woman fit for the lifestyle. Maybe she did try to kill her son...

 _No. He lied._

She glanced at her therapist...seeing him soften as he watched her. He laid his notepad on his desk, leaning forward, closer to her. She moved forward a bit, the leather couch making a slight noise as she leaned closer to him. She looked at him, as he laid a hand softly on her knee.

"Noah...," she mumbles. He raises an eyebrow,confused as to who she's talking about. "My son...his name is Noah,"

"Noah," he murmurers. "I've seen him...he talks highly of you,"

He hopes his words cheer her up but is shocked when she begins to sob violently,nearly collapsing in his arms. She's cried before but this is a woman in pain, her wails seem unnatural with such a husky voice like hers, especially for a normally composed woman. Each cry is filled with sorrow and after each session, he has come to believe she would never hurt her son. He wraps his arms around her, an uncomfortable position as they sit in different seats, but he refuses to let her go.

With other patients he would have called for a nurse to either sedate or calm them down, but instead he holds her, placing soft kisses along her forehead, his lips brushing her bangs.

"H-he...won't even let me see him anymore!" she cries between sobs. Although she can't see him, he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Olivia...does he know you get out this week?'

"Y-yes!" she exclaims, "I get out o-on Christmas...an-and all I wa-want is to see my son!"

He's pissed as he holds her a bit tighter, but making sure he isn't hurting her. He knows what she's going through. He's gone through it before, during his divorce years ago, even becoming an alcoholic. It took him a few years to become abstinent from alcohol. Which inspired him to take a change in his profession. He had to help Olivia...he knew getting to close to his patient was dangerous but even when he first saw her, a cigarette in hand sitting in the recreation room catching her trading medication, he had been drawn to her. Each session,whether silent, yelling, a few stupid puzzle games, meditation...she was the one patient that made his week a bit bearable.

Just her presence appeased him.

"Olivia...get a lawyer,"

She shrugged.

 _With what money?_

"Okay listen, I know someone," he whispers, "her name is Alex Cabot...she can help you,"

Her sobs have long ceased, and although she is frozen, she hears his offer loud and clear. He feels her slightly nod, and before he has a chance to kiss her, his alarm blares soft jazz music, signaling their session has ended. He looks a the calendar book beside his empire state building snow globe and also his name plate.

 _Dr. Elliot Stabler._

It's Tuesday, December 20th. She has five days left before she leaves. _They_ have five days left together.

But even after she leaves, he hopes his attorney friend Alex Cabot can help Olivia see her child again.

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 **So sorry for any mistakes, I'll fix them or maybe not. And I feel really strongly about completeing this story. And soon I'll also be posting a Tuckson AU, so if you don't like Tuckson then don't read it. This is AO and EO and soon I'll explain Olivia's situatio further and as to who her ex-husband is. But I bet ppl have guesses...**

 **Anyway I'll try to update soon.**

 **Twitter/ pinkvelv3t**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy.**

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Olivia bit her lip, hard enough she knew she was close to drawing blood. Her roommate, Amanda, sat there in front of the television, a pathetic 2001 samsung that the clinic thought was enough for the patients. On the screen was her ex-husband... _again._ Her young blond replacement, on his arm. Her son wasn't to be seen, just her ex, dressed in a nice suit and his dark hair combed.

"Fuck he's handsome," Amanda chuckled, glancing at Olivia for a moment. Although Rollins knew she had an ex, just like with everyone else in the clinic, including staff, Olivia made sure to never mention the names of anyone from her past.

 _"I can tell you that Mr. Johnson will not let this case ruin his campaign,"_ he spoke, flashing a smirk to the reporter. He had a smile that used to bring Olivia to her knees, clean glistening teeth and his witty charm...now she just wanted to smash the tv in. " _It is nice to win this case, proven that Mr. Johnson is innocent and a few tales of sexual assault from money hungry girls will not damage his race for mayor,"_

Olivia was a bit shocked when Amanda quickly changed the channel, the news soon replaced by The Shining. Olivia watched in slight amusement when Amanda walked over, sitting in the chair opposite of her, an untouched chess table between them. The blonde looked up at her roommate shrugging. Olivia sighed at their own wardrobe. Identical white sweats, although Olivia smirked at the sight of Amanda's spongebob socks when she pulled her legs into the chair.

"Isn't a bit too early for horror?" Olivia chuckled, her cigarette hanging from the side of her mouth. She glanced at the screen, seeing Wendy Torrance swing a bat at her husband.

"Better than watching an arrogant suit lie his ass off," Amanda mumbled. She nodded her head to the chess table, "want to play?"

"Yeah," Olivia sighed, laying her magazine on the chairs' armrest. Olivia had noticed the sudden change in Amanda's demeanor. Her roommate had been annoyingly bright all morning but suddenly her young friend had a scowl on her face and was being uncharacteristically quiet. Olivia knew it may have been the interview that upset her.

Olivia silently watched Amanda move a pawn before moving one of her own. "Do you know anything about that case?" Olivia hesitantly asked.

"No," Amanda snapped, refusing to look at the older woman. Olivia a bit to curious, refused to halt her questions.

"Did Johnson really touch those girls though?" Olivia shrugged.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Amanda spat, suddenly looking up to glare at her, even her southern accent becoming more predominant as she spoke "how come every time some ass with money does something wrong people give them a pass. Heavy pockets don't equal innocence,"

"Whoa 'Manda I didn't mean it like that," Olivia defended, "trust me I know very well just how crooked suits can be...I married one and he's the reason I'm here,"

Amanda's attitude softened, even offering a sad smile. "We've both had experiences...you know that's the first time you've told me about...before you got here,"

"Well, I'm leaving in a few days might as well tell you," Olivia said. She felt a bit saddened when she realized Amanda would still be in the clinic for a few years, left alone, and maybe with a new roommate. Besides each other they didn't really speak to anyone else. They'd been nearly joined at the hip for the past two years now, a duo the staff couldn't fucking stand. Olivia smiled before leaning in. "That way you can have something to gossip about," she whispered.

Both of their minds wandered back to the day Amanda finally got her to speak.

 _Olivia moved around in her single bed, suddenly awakened by the feeling of being watched. Facing the wall, she finally turned the other way to see what had stirred her from slumber. Olivia yelped seeing the blonde bent over her in the dead of night. Amanda's pale hand quickly covered her mouth, a smile gracing her face._

 _"Be quiet," Amanda whispered. Olivia frantically nodded, cautious and fearful as to what the woman wanted._

 _"What the fuck are you doing?!" Olivia hissed. She looked at the green neon numbers on the clock a few inches away, lying on the nightstand. "It's one thirty in the fucking morning!"_

 _"Finally got you to speak!" Amanda chuckled. She then turned serious, looking her closely in the eyes. "You know you seem too sane to be here,"_

 _Olivia was silent._

 _"Why are you here?" Amanda asked, smirking._

 _"Why are you here?" Olivia snapped._

 _"Eh, tried to kill myself too many times," Amanda said, too nonchalantly for Olivia's liking. "Now come on let's go,"_

 _Olivia looked behind her. Shocked to see a nurse leaning against the door, his hands in his pockets. "Is she coming or not," he sighed._

 _"She is," Amanda said. Without even consulting her roommate, she snatched the covers off the older woman. She grabbed her hand pulling the taller woman to her feet._

 _"Where are we going?" Olivia asked, slightly shocked the nurse was letting this happen._

 _"Sunday night," Amanda shrugged, "video game night,"_

Since then every Sunday night they snuck with Nurse Achens, or J.C, to the nurses common room to play video games or pool. That was until J.C was fired not too long ago...after Dr. Stabler caught wind of his sexual relationship with Rollins.

Amanda suddenly frowned again her eyes looking past her. "Speaking of assholes in suits," Amanda whispered. Olivia looked over her shoulder to see Stabler looking at them, a thin smile on his face. Although his presence made her a bit ecstatic, she glared at him once he reached over and snatched her cigarette from her mouth.

"Don't know why the nurses are so lenient with patients having these things," Elliot sighed. He pulled a seat from another table before pulling it beside Olivia to sit in it.

"Maybe they'd be glad to see us die from lung cancer," Amanda sarcastically said.

"Rollins leave us,"

Amanda looked at him a minute before getting up and leaving the room entirely.

"Olivia," Elliot smiled, "my friend has...reviewed your situation but it is going to be hard for her to prove you deserve visitation of your son,"

"Visitation?" Olivia frowned, "I want my son,"

"Well looking at your files you'll be lucky if a judge will even allow you visitation," a feminine voice said. Olivia looked at Elliot, who looked down, before looking past him. Behind him with black rimmed glasses on her face, was a tall (maybe even taller than her) blonde. The woman dressed in a clean cut suit, with her skirt stopping just above the knees, leaving her pale thin legs to be seen. She wore heels which Olivia would find annoying walking in daily, but the woman stood there, almost like she'd master the art of walking in heels all day.

The woman gave a smile, which came across as sarcastic, before walking over to sit in the seat Amanda had previously occupied. She sat her briefcase down at her feet before looking Olivia in the eye.

"Alex Cabot," the woman said. Olivia thought she reached her hand out to shake but the blonde's thin fingers moved the white knight on the the chess table. "Your friend has horrendous strategy by the looks of it,"

Olivia looked back at Elliot, raising her eyebrows.

 _Are you serious?_

"She's good Liv,"he sighed.

"Stabler why don't you leave _Liv_ and I alone," Cabot ordered, not even bothering to look away from Olivia. Once Stabler showed no sign of moving Alex spoke again. "Stabler go fetch us something to drink, there's no need for you to hover. Besides she seems pretty sane to me,"

Elliot glared at the woman, before standing to his feet. His expression changed when he looked back down at Olivia, giving her a soft smile as he laid his hand on her shoulder. "Pepsi right?"

"And a candy bar," Olivia murmured. He nodded, and without even asking for Cabot's choice of drink, he walked off down the hall. She turned her eyes to the woman in front of her, staring back into blue eyes. They were a bit lighter than Elliot's, but just as intriguing.

"Great," Alex sighed. "Now I can't guarantee you get full custody of your son, especially considering your ca-"

"My husband framed me!" Olivia interrupted. She saw just what she expected to see, a look of criticism on the blondes face, "listen my ex lied. I never tried to hurt my son,"

"But yet here you are," Alex scoffed, "in a psych ward for nearly killing your own child,"

"My ex has connections okay!" Olivia snapped. Once she saw that Cabot's look of skepticism hadn't changed she shook her head in frustration. "See this is what I'm talking about," she choked up, holding in tears, so the cold hearted woman across her wouldn't see her cry, "I told them that I didn't hurt my son...I was a year clean...my ex basically _paid_ for me to be locked up,"

"Who is your ex husband?" Cabot asked, her voice just becoming a bit softer.

"Why?" Olivia sighed, defeated. "What does it matter?"

Alex stared at the bloodshot eyes of the woman in front of her before sighing herself. "Listen , as an attorney, I'm going to need some sort of trust from my client,"

 _"_ Trust?" Olivia scoffed, "funny...not only did my last attorney purposely lose my case to send me here, she married the man I loved...the man that she helped to send me here,"

"Who?"

"Gilligan Hardwicke,"

"Wait...your husband is,"

"Yeah," Olivia snapped, "my ex husband is David Haden,"

Alex looked at the woman across from her, watching as the brunette looked down, trying to use her banngs to shield her eyes. Except the blonde still saw a few tears slide down the woman's face. Alex Cabot herself had known David Haden. It was hard not to, a man she's been up against so many times, and Haden won every single time. A prick the man was, not only was he ruining her own winning streak, the man had the personality of any arrogant man. She had purposely avoided cases that would lead her against him in a courtroom, but here was his ex-wife, a broken woman who she didn't know was innocent or not. Either way this case seemed like a triumph against her rival. However she still didn't have much confidence going against Haden in court. And she believed Olivia when she said he had connections, it was his _connections_ that got her disbarred a few years ago, all because she had caught him cheating on his ex wife. Cheating on the woman who now sat across from her with the woman he's married to now.

"I'll try my hardest to see if you can get visitation," Alex sighed, looking into Olivia's brown orbs, "as for as complete custody...that's going to be a hard battle,"

"A battle I'm willing to fight for," Olivia said sternly.

"I'll at least try to make sure you have a decent Christmas," Alex smiled. Olivia was shocked not only that the woman _could_ smile but also that her beautiful smile stunned her. Olivia broke out into a grin.

"Thank you," Olivia murmured.

A few feet a way, Elliot leaned against the wall, a bit thrown off Olivia had given the attorney a grin. Not only did the brunette rarely grin, he was the only one to actually see her genuinely grin. Suddenly his twinge of jealousy was replaced with shame, he should be more worried that Olivia could see her son and he hoped that Alex could help her.

Elliot also had something planned for Olivia on Christmas day.

 _Christmas dinner at his own home._

His own family would be across country for the holidays, and maybe he could help Olivia feel some type of happiness on Christmas, even if Alex failed to get her son back. They could find comfort together.

 _I'll tell her how I feel. She only has four days left._

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 **A/N: sorry but I rushed through this one. Plus I typed it half asleep so if things aren't really spelled right or doesn't really make sense I apologize. But anyway tbc.**


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